Fabric measuring and cutting table



United States Patent [72] inventors Weldon G. Helmus, Jr.

Oakland, New Jersey;

James C. Wasson, J r., Statesville, North Carolina; Paul J. Pero, Statesville, North Carolina; Clarence A. Sain, Statesville,

North Carolina [21] App1.No. 755,165

[22] Filed Aug. 26, 1968 {45] Patented Aug. 18, 1970 [73] Assignee J. C. Penney Company, Inc.

New York, New York a Corp. of Delaware [54] FABRIC MEASURING AND CUTTING TABLE 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] [1.8. CI 83/522, 83/649, 83/614, 242/62, 33/129 [51] Int. Cl 826d 7/28 [50] Field olSearch 83/649, 650, 614. 522: 242/62. 55.53, 58: 33/128, 129

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,266,923 5/1918 Davis 83/522X 1.790.020 1/1931 Richardson 242/62 2,545,337 3/1951 Blessing 242/58 Primary E.raminer- William S. Lawson Assistant Examiner Leon Gilden Arrorney Pennie, Edmonds, Morton, Taylor and Adams ABSTRACT: A fabric supply roll is rotatably supported above and at the rear of a table. The fabric is passed downwardly from this roll and threaded around a guide roller at the rear of the table, thence over the table's surface and into engagement with a yardage meter and then downwardly over a second guide roller at the front of the table to a takeup roll mounted on a controllable power driven shaft.

Patented Aug. 18, 1970 3,524,373

FIG. 4

INVENTORS' WELDON e. HELMUSLJ'R. JAMES c. WASSON, :rR.

PAUL I PERO CLARENCE A. SAIN BY ELQ L- EAJW ATTORNEYS Sheet 2 of2 "'II III? 55 INVENTORS WELDON e. HELMUS R PAUL J.- PERO ...m... CLARENCE A. SAIN ATTORNEYS J U'AMES c. wAssonLaR.

FABRIC MEASURING AND CUTTING TABLE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A table is supported in horizontal position and provided with a frame structure pivotally mounted at its rear edge for supporting a supply roll of fabric to be cut into sections of the desired length. The frame structure has two parallel equal length arms which are rigidly connected together near their common pivot and these arms can be rocked to a forward position for convenience in mounting the fabric supply roll between them. A takeup roll is rotatably supported below the front edge of the table on a shaft which is power driven from a suitable motor and through a manually operated clutch. A freely rotatable guide roller is mounted at the rear of the table and a similar roller at the front of the table. A yardage meter is arranged on the upper surface of the table. In operation the fabric from the supply roll, after rocking the frame structure from its forward to its upright position, is threaded around the guide roller at the rear of the table, then over the tables surface in engagement with the yardage meter, then downwardly over the roller at the front of the table and onto the takeup roll. The section or length of fabric which has been measured by the yardage meter is cut off by the operator who draws a razor sharp knife along the front of the table, the knife being guided in a groove formed by the front guide roller and the front edge of the table.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is an isometric view of the measuring and cutting table of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the table in central vertical section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. I looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing a detail;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1 showing another detail; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of a cutting knife.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to these drawings the horizontal table is shown at 1 and may be made of a flat metallic plate having its forward edge curved downwardly from end to end somewhat as shown in FIG. 2. The table is supported in horizontal position at the desired working height above the floor in any convenient manner. As shown the table is supported by a framework consisting of steel angle bars and it has two vertical front legs 3 and two rear legs 4 which slope downwardly toward the rear to give the structure greater stability. The four legs are interconnected by front and rear bars 5 and by end bars 6.

Extending along the rear edge of table 1 there is a supply roll supporting structure indicated generally by reference numeral 7 and having two upright parallel arms 8 and 9 which are rigidly joined together at their lower ends by a horizontal bar 10. This supporting structure 7 is pivotally mounted in parallel relation to the rear edge of table 1 in any suitable manner such as indicated by the pivot pin or rod 11.

A supply roll 12 of fabric to be measured and cut is sup ported between the upper ends of arms 8 and 9. The roll 12 is wound upon a central carrying tube 13 in a conventional manner. Roll 12 is supported at its opposite ends by two conical members one of which, 14, is shown in FIG. 4 in detail and engages the tube 13 at the right-hand end of the roll. The cone at the left-hand end of the roll is only slightly visible and is indicated by numeral 15. These cones are alike and each is provided with a cylindrical shank portion 16.

Cone 14 at the right (FIG. I is slidably mounted on a shaft 17 and this shaft in turn rotates within a stationary sleeve 18 adjustably mounted in a cylindrical member 19 which is welded to the outer end of arm 9. A brace 20 welded at one end to arm 9 and at its opposite end to the lower surface of member 19 strengthens the support of this member on arm 9. Sleeve 18 is lengthwise shiftable in member 19 and arranged to be clamped in adjusted position by means of a clamping screw 21 which is threaded in an opening in the side of member 19. This construction permits of the support of rolls 12 of various widths or lengths by the arms 8 and 9.

Conical member 15 at the left end of roll 12 is rotatably supported on a shaft or pin (not shown) which is secured to arm 8, cone 15 being non-shiftable in its position. However, as shown in FIG. 4 cone 14 at the right end of roll 12 is mounted on shaft 17 in such a way as to be yieldable lengthwise and is urged or biased towards the left by means of helical compression spring 22. The cone is held on shaft 17 by means of a dogpointed screw 23 which is threaded in an aperture in the side of shank portion 16, the inner end of screw 23 being received in a longitudinal slot 24 in shaft 17.

When it is desired to mount a fabric roll 12 in position between the supporting arms 8 and 9 sleeve 18 is first adjusted lengthwise in member 19 according to the length of the roll 12. Then the left end of the roll is applied to the non-shiftable conical member 15, and the spring pressed conical member 14 at the right end is manually shifted to the right in FIGS. 1 and 4 so as to allow the aperture of tube 13 to be received upon thesloping surface of cone 14.

It will be understood that the mounting operation of roll 12 just described is accomplished while the supporting structure including arms 8 and 9 is swung forward about its pivot 11 to the forward position shown in FIG. 2 where the outer ends of arms 8 and 9 are conveniently accessible from the front of table 1. The roll supporting structure is held in this forward position by means of rigid stop members 25, only one of which is visible in the drawings, which are welded or otherwise rigidly mounted on the framework which supports table 1. A similar pair of stop members 26 hold the arms 8 and 9 in thier operative position as shown in full lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 where the arms and roll 12 are at the rear of the gravitational dead center of pivot 11.

The takeup roll 27 (shown as a tube similar to tube 13) is supported in a similar way to supply roll 12. For such support a nonshiftable cone member 28 is arranged at the left and is mounted on a rotatable shaft 29 which rotates in a bearing 30 mounted on framework leg 3. Shaft 29 has a driving sprocket 31 secured to its outer end. At the right end of tube 27 there is a second cone 32 which is mounted in the same way as cone 14 except that the cylindrical supporting member 19a of this assembly is fixed to the right front leg 3 by welding or otherwise. Theposition of cone 32 can be shifted for different tube lengths by adjusting clamping screw 21a. Cone member 32 is spring mounted in the same way as cone '14 so as to be yieldingly urged against the end of takeup roll 27.

In order that takeup roll 27 may be power driven an electric motor 33 is mounted partly on left end bar 6 of the table framework and partly on a parallel bar 34 which extends between the front and rear bars 5. To rotate shaft 29 and the takeup roll 27 and at the same time be able to control such rotation a friction clutch mechanism indicated generally by numeral 35 is mounted on the framework of the machine at its left-hand end. This clutch mechanism includes a stationary shaft 36 on which rotate a driving sprocket 37 and a driven sprocket 38. An endless chain 39 operated from the shaft of motor 33 drives sprocket 37, and a shorter endless chain 40 interconnects sprocket 38 with sprocket 31 on shaft 29.

Friction clutch members 41 and 42 are mounted on adjacent ends of enlarged hubs provided on the sprockets 37 and 38 respectively, and sprocket 38 is shiftable along stationary shaft 36 by means of a lever 43 which is pivotally mounted on the clutch mechanism 35. A roller 44 which rotates on a pin projecting from one side of lever 43 engages the hub of sprocket 38. Manual pressure on lever 43 forces the friction members 41 and 42 of the clutch into engagement with each other and causes the rotation of takeup roll 27.

The table 1 has a rectangular aperture near its left end and within this aperture a yardage meter 46 is mounted. The

figures indicated by the yardage meter appear through a window 47. The yardage meter is operated by upper and lower cooperating rollers 48 and 49.

In the operation ofthe apparatus, with a supply roll of fabric 12 in position the web 50 of the fabric is brought downwardly and threaded around a guide roller 51 supported by the machine framework and mounted for rotation adjacent pivot 11 for the supply roll supporting framework and with its lower surface positioned horizontally just above the surface of table 1. The web 50 is carried over the surface of table 1 to the front thereof where the web is turned downwardly aroung a second guide roller 52 which is similar to roller 51 but somewhat smaller in diameter. It is like roller 51, supported for rotation by the framework of the machine, and its upper surface is in approximately the same horizontal plane as the lower surface of roller 51. The threading is completed by securing the end of web 50 to the takeup tube 27 in a conventional manner so that when this tube is rotated the web will be wound up on it.

Before passing the end of the web over table I the rollers 48 and 49 of the yardage meter are separated by moving an actuating lever 53. Immediately after the end of the web passes beneath these rollers they are returned to their actuating position so as to measure the length of the web between the meter and the takeup tube 27, or between the meter and the front edge of table 1 where the cutting takes place. It will be understood that before the end of the web is secured to takeup tube 27 clutch lever 43 is operated to release the clutch so as to allow the cone member 28 and the tube 27 to rotate freely during the operation of securing the web to the tube.

After the threading of web 50 has been completed the machine is ready for operation. A manually operable switch 54 arranged in the circuit of motor 33 is closed to place the motor in operation. The operator presses clutch lever 43 to cause the motor 33 to feed the web across table 1 and onto takeup roll 27, the operator watching the yardage meter 46 until the desired length of web section has been measured. When the desired section length has been reached clutch lever 43 is operated to stop further advance of the web. in order to promptly stop the rotation of supply roll 12 a friction brake or retarding device is arranged at the left hand of the roll mounting. As shown this is in the form of a small fabric strap 56 which is carried by a stationary block 57 and positioned to engage the cylindrical surface of shank 16 of the left-hand conical roller 15.

The measured section is cut or severed transversely of the web, for example, by means of a knife 55 such as shown in FIG. which may be operated in the channel formed between the front guide roller 52 and the downwardly curved edge 2 of table I.

For convenience an extension 58 may be mounted at the right end of table 1 to receive various articles needed in the operation of the machine such as store orders, tickets, a tape dispenser etc. Obviously in using the machine in a production operation a quantity of webs of the same length will be measured and cut, whereas, ifdesired, each of the severed sections may be different in length.

We claim:

1. ln apparatus of the class described, a horizontal table, means for supporting the table at working height above the floor, a supply roll supporting structure having two spaced parallel arms for supporting between them a supply roll of fabric to be cut into measured sections, means for pivotally mounting the roll support at the rear edge of the table with the arms projecting upwardly, at least one stop member rigidly secured to the table supporting means for engaging the roll support to hold the arms extending upwardly in operating position, at least one second stop member similarly arranged to hold the roll support when swung forward to a loading position above the front edge of the table, means for supporting a takeup roll for rotation below the front edge of the table, power means for turning said roll, a fabric guide roller mounted for rotation and extending along the rear edge of the table adjacent the roll supporting structure, and a second fabric guide roller mounted for rotation adjacent the front edge of the table and with its surface approximately level with the surface of the table.

2. Apparatus of the class described as set forth in Claim 1 in which the supply roll supporting structure is provided with arms which are fixed in position at a predetermined horizontal spacing, and the supporting means for one end of the roll is mounted for lengthwise adjustment with respect to the supporting arm on which it is mounted whereby supply rolls of different lengths may be accommodated.

3. Apparatus ofthe class described as set forth in Claim 1 in which the supply roll supporting structure is held in operating position by engagement of the arms thereof against fixed stop means and by moving the roll while supported by said arms beyond the gravitational dead center with respect to the pivot mounting ofthe roll supporting structure.

4. Apparatus of the class described as set forth in Claim l wherein the table includes a meter for measuring the length of the fabric transferred from the supply roll to the takeup roll and also wherein the surface of the front guide roll forms with the front edge of the table a slot for guiding a knife blade in severing the measured portion of the fabric.

5. Apparatus of the class described as set forth in Claim 1 wherein the power means is connected to drive the takeup roll through a manually operated clutch device. 

